Boat Bonanza Christmas

Boat Bonanza Christmas Slot Review

Slot Provider: Play n Go

RTP: 96.22% | Variance: High | Maximum Win: 5,000x

Our Score: 7.6

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QUICK LINKS: Game Information | Where To Play | Full Review | Testing Notes | Tips For Players | About The Developer

WHY YOU CAN TRUST THIS REVIEW: The information and opinions on this page are the result of an comprehensive process of information gathering and live game testing by the gambling experts who work at allslotsites.com. Find out more here.

About Boat Bonanza Christmas

Reviewed by:

Published Date: 29th October 2024

How We Review Slot Games

We test and rate all slot games across 5 criteria, assigning a score out of 10 for each and an overall score that is an average of the 5. To build an accurate assessment of each game we gather information from the supplier and play in real play or demo mode. Find out more.

Boat Bonanza Christmas is a festive version of the fishing slot from Play n Go. It has the same format as the original Boat Bonanza game. Fishing boats collect up cash prizes from the reels beneath them and in the free spins round they take on multiplier values of up to 5x. There is also a Mega Catch feature triggered when 2 boats settle above one reel, collecting up the value of all cash symbols across the grid.

The max win is 5,000x and spins start at 10p.

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Boat Bonanza Christmas Game Information

  • Release Date: 19.11.24
  • RTP: 96.22% | 94.25% | 91.25% | 87.24% | 84.22%
  • Variance: High
  • Maximum Win: 5,000x
  • Progressive Jackpot: No
  • Reels: 5
  • Rows: 4
  • Paylines: 12
  • Minimum Stake: £0.10
  • Theme: Fishing
  • Features: Cash CollectsFree SpinsInstant PrizesMultipliersWilds
  • Format: 5-Reel
  • Series: Boat Bonanza

Testing Notes: Here’s What Happened When We Played Boat Bonanza Christmas

IMPORTANT: To give you an accurate assessment of the games we review our writers play 200 spins. Whilst this is a useful tool to help us review games and to give an example of what might happen when you play, keep in mind that 200 spins is only a very small sample and cannot be used to accurately predict what might happen over another 200 spins. The outcome of all slots play is always random.

Boom Or Bust? Our Session By The Numbers

I played 100 spins on Boat Bonanza Christmas on Play n Go’s test servers prior to release to test the game. This is what happened.

  • Stake Size: 1
  • Start balance: 25,000
  • End balance: 25,011
  • Win Rate: 7% (7 winning spins in 100)
  • Biggest Win: 112.5x
  • Free Spins Rounds: 1

High variance fishing slots are very tough games in my experience. I’ve seen win rates of less than 10% in many Big Bass games and so it was here. Just 7% of spins produced a win. That is very low. The boats above the reels were rarely active and it felt like I was just waiting for that free spins round to drop.

Boat Bonanza Christmas 112.5x win
A 112.5x win from free spins

When it eventually did, it didn’t disappoint, producing a 112.5x payout. The boat multipliers are key here. If you can build those up – I got to 5x on both – then you stand a good chance of a decent win. Also, I had two Mega Catches from both boats above one reel.

Take aways? A typically tight fishing slot with a lot of RTP saved back for the free spins round.

What We Liked

  • Powerful free spins round with up to 5x multipliers per boat
  • Premium symbols worth up to 200x for 5 on a line
  • Fun festive theme and design
  • Catch symbols worth up to 1,000x each
  • High volatility gameplay

What We Didn't like

  • Low RTP at some slot sites
  • 5,000x top win is low for a high variance slot

Boat Bonanza Christmas Review Scores

  • Theme and Design 8
  • RTP and Variance 7
  • Maximum Win 7
  • Symbols and Paytable 8
  • Features and Gameplay 8

What Our Reviewer Says ...

"A re-work of the original Boat Bonanza but still worth unwrapping for Christmas thanks to a powerful free spins round with multipliers!"

Overall Score: 7.6

Theme & Design

Our Score 8

Boat Bonanza Christmas has a simple design style, with a big lake in the foreground and snowy hills with cute cottages in the distance. Little boats bob up and down on the water whilst the reel set sits beneath the surface with Christmas trees, presents, snowmen and sleighs on either side. A nice little Christmas ditty plays out in the background. Fans of fishing slots and festive games should be pleased enough by this.

Boat Bonanza Christmas by Play n Go
Boat Bonanza Christmas Game Screen

RTP and Variance

Our Score 7

What is RTP?

RTP (Return to Player) refers to the amount a game will pay out in cash prizes expressed as a percentage of all the money wagered on that game. For example, a 96% RTP means a game will pay out £96 for every £100 wagered. This is an average number and will vary from one session to the next.  Read more here.

What is Variance?

Variance refers to how far a game will deviate from its RTP over time. High variance games deviate a lot and produce uneven win distributions and unexpected windfalls. Low variance games provide a more stable and even distribution of wins. Read more here.

Boat Bonanza Christmas has 5 RTP rates – 96.22%, 94.25%, 91.25%, 87.24% and 84.22% – for casino operators to choose from. In the UK market many slot sites now run Play n Go games at the lower rates to improve their house edge so it pays to check the RTP before you start spending your money. You can do this by hitting the ‘?’ button under the reels then scrolling through until you see Return to Player.

We recommend playing Play n Go slots at MrQ from Lindar Media which always uses the top RTP rates.

The volatility rating is high in this game too, in line with that from the original game. So expect it to be a little bumpy in its payout distribution, but with the capacity to kick out a big win from time to time.

Maximum Win

Our Score 7

What Is Maximum Win?

Maximum win refers to the maximum amount a player can win from one spin. It is expressed as a multiple of the stake. For example, where the maximum win is 100,000x, from a £1 stake, the maximum win would be £100,000.  

Max wins are capped at just 5,000x. That’s not huge for a high volatility slot and doesn’t compare well with Pragmatic Play’s festive fishing game this year, Big Bass Xmas Xtreme (10,000x) for example. If you prefer playing for the bigger wins you could also check out our article on slots with the highest max wins.

Symbols and Paytable

Our Score 8

Boat Bonanza Christmas is a simple 5 reel and 4 row slot with just 12 paylines. Wins come from landing 3 or more identical symbols on a payline from left to right, starting at the left most reel.

Boat Bonanza Christmas Paytable
The paytable with 200x for 5 floats

There are 9 pay symbols in the table. The 5 low payers are the cards, 10 through to Ace, valued at from 0.5x for 3 10s up to 10x for 5 Aces. The premiums are the festive crab trap, seagull, reel and float, valued at from 2x for 3 crab traps up to 200x for 5 floats.

There are no wild symbols in the game.

Features and Gameplay

Our Score 8

Boat Bonanza uses simple gameplay to drive the wins. Just cash collects and free spins with some powerful multipliers. Here is how it works:

Cash Collects in Base Game and Free Spins

The cash collect mechanism in Play n Go’s Boat Bonanza is different to that found in the Big Bass (Pragmatic Play) or Fishin Frenzy (Blueprint Gaming) slot series.

Instead of wilds landing on the reels at the same time as money fish, here you have fishing boats cruising along the top of the reels. When one settles above a reel, it collects up all the Catch Symbols visible below it, represented by either a fish or lobster displaying a prize value of up to 1,000x.

And … if 2 boats settle above one reel then a Mega Catch is triggered where ALL catch symbols on ALL reels are collected up.

Free Spins With Multipliers and Re-Spins

The free spins round is simple. You need to land 3, 4 or 5 scatters in the base game to trigger it. That gets you 10, 15 or 20 spins.

Now, 2 boats will always be in play above the reels, collecting cash on every spin. Each boat also has a multiplier value starting at 1x which is applied to all their catches. Multiplier symbols are in play on the reels too and can be picked up by the boats, adding to their multiplier value which maxes out at 5x.

A boat with a multiplier in Boat Bonanza Christmas
Boat with 3x multiplier in free spins round

And if both boats land above a reel, then the Mega Catch is triggered just like the base game, but with both boat’s multipliers added together before being applied to the total win.

Another powerful feature on the free spins round is the re-spin which is triggered after ANY catch. Then, the re-spin occurs with only catch symbols in play and no paylines. Re-spins repeat in this scenario until no more catches happen. Then you return to the free spins round.

Finally, watch out for fish symbols with a +1 or more on them which add extra spins to your total in the round if they are caught.

The Final Verdict

Despite its cute exterior this is a tough little slot but it’s powerful free spins round with multipliers and Mega Catches means it’s worth sticking with to see if you can bag one of those big wins. Just a shame the max win isn’t a little higher to compete with Pragamtic Play’s big Xmas release.

Useful Tips When Playing Boat Bonanza Christmas

Remember, online slots are games of chance, there is NO strategy that can improve your odds of winning. However, reading our review and following these tips will help you get the most out of your time playing this slot game.

1. Look For Fish and Lobster Cash Symbols

These carry the cash values of up to 1,000x which is activated when a boat settles at the top of their reel.

2. Look For TWO Boats Landing Above One Reel

This triggers Mega Catch, triggering a catch of ALL fish and lobster symbols on the reels at once.

3. Play At Low Stakes

This is a volatile slot that can burn your balance down fast. Set a low-ish stake relative to your overall balance to avoid an early exit!

4. Play At Our Recommended Slot Sites

We have chosen the sites on this page because they all scored high in our reviews and they are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. That makes them fair and safe places to play slots.

Who Made Boat Bonanza Christmas?

  • Name: Play n Go
  • Established: 1997
  • UK License: Remote 021725-R-304911-020
  • Total Games: 200 +
  • Known For: Grid slots, high variance slots, huge range of themes, styles and maths models
  • Popular Slots: Book of Dead, Reactoonz 1 and 2, Troll Hunters 2, Rise of Olympus
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